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Cuisles is a little village of 150 inhabitants located in the heart of Vallée de la Marne, the terroir of Meunier. Know more about Champagne terroir.

Cuisles and the two or three neighbouring villages have this kind of soil. This is the same type of clay that is used extensively as a natural ingredient in cosmetics and in beauty treatments.

The Illite clay retains water better than the chalky-clay and is rich in nutrients. If you were to cut a cross section through the vineyard you’d find that most of the roots of the vines are concentrated in this layer of green clay. That’s why this kind of soil needs less water.

The Vallée de La Marne is not generally thought of as an area lacking in rain but Cuisles, tucked away in its little vale perpendicular to the Marne, gets 25% less annual rainfall than the villages actually on the river.

Thanks to this unusual combination of soil and micro-climate, Meunier wines from Cuisles can truly be said to be ‘champagnes de terroir’. They have a mineral quality that is rare in other Meunier wines and, contrary to what is sometimes said about Meunier, they have good ageing potential.

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